Tire retreading equipment



Dec. 21, 1954 E. H. CLARK 2,697,252

TIRE RETREADING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 51, 1951 IIIII ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofitice 2,697,252 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 2,697,252 TIRE RETREADING EQUIPMENT Earl H. Clark, Gainesville, Ga. Application December 31, 1951, Serial No. 264,305 1 Claim. (Cl. 18-18) This invention relates to tire retreading or repairing equipment and particularly to a device primarily designed to support an inflated tubeless tire during the time that that tire is positioned in a vulcanizing apparatus.

The completed tire is then removed from the core. The core or support should be of such character that it may be adapted, by adiustrnent if necessary, for the mounting of tires of and dismount the repaired tire.

The tubeless tire is becoming increasingly popular but there has been developed up until this time no commercially acceptab1e tire support or core upon which a tube- Such inserts are costly, awkward to handle, and short lived, deteriorating rather rapidly when subjected to repeated heatinas at the high temperatures incident to retreading operations.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an improved core or support primarily for tubeless tires and by means of which such a tire may be given maximinor alterations in shape and design of the component elements of the device may be effected without departure from the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the core or tire support;

F gure 2 1s a section on line 2-2 of Figure I;

mounted thereon; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spacing member forming portion of the apparatus.

The device comprises essentially two complementary annular members indicated at and 11, respectively, together with a spacer formed as an interrupted cylinder, indicated at 12, and means associated with the compleare illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Each such annular member includes a continuous tire The tire side wall supporting portions 13 and 14 of the core are relatively deep, measured radially of the device, and provide supports for the side walls of the tire T substantially to the point where the tread Tx begins.

be second or inner portions of the complementary annular members 10 and 11 may be formed in various ways but I prefer to make each substantially L-shaped as pressure is introduced.

A tire supporting device such as illustrated in the draw side-wall portions in inflated condition during a retreadmg or repairing operation comprising, in combination, two

stantially all of a tire side-Wall is engaged and supported thereby and a second portion of less diameter integral tire having its side wall surfaces engaged by said first which air under pressure may 3 be maintained, means for passing air under pressure through one of said members into any closed space thus formed, and a cylindrical spacing means disposed intermediate the first or tire wall engaging portions of said device to maintain the side walls of any tire mounted on said device in contact with the said side wall engaging portions of the device, said spacing means being permeable to'. the passage of an.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Bacon, Jr. July 31, 1945 Horton-Wellings Aug. 16, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Mar. 8, 1950 

